LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Now just six days away from a non-presidential election getting national attention, both candidates for Kentucky governor are making their final pushes -- and on Wednesday, that came partly in Louisville's neighboring counties.
Incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear made bus tour stops at both Bardstown and Elizabethtown Wednesday afternoon, again touting the state's economic development achievements under his leadership.
Beshear, also promising significant raises for Kentucky public school teachers, talked to supporters inside Scout & Scholar Brewing Co. in Bardstown.
Voters there told us their mind was made after the 'compassionate' decisions Beshear during the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters in both Western and Eastern Kentucky.
"We felt that he looked after us [and] our health and wellbeing more than anything," said Roger Smith, a Bardstown local who attended the campaign stop alongside his family.
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Also in attendance, Ron and Sue Hayden, who voted for Beshear in 2019. They told WHAS 11 he's proved he deserves a second term.
"He's for the little guy, he looks out after us, and a lot of the things that he's done has been for the people who have struggled and have troubles," Sue Hayden said.
Ron Hayden, a retired long-time employee at Ford Motor Company, said he appreciates Beshear's union support.
"I've always voted for someone who I've thought, as a union member for many, many years, is going to have my back. And I want to have his back to get him elected," Hayden said.
Meanwhile in Shepherdsville earlier Wednesday morning, Republican challenger and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron made his appearance in front of voters.
Many touted his 'receptiveness' and track record as the state's top law enforcement official.
When WHAS 11 asked David Newman, member of the Kentucky Motorcycle Association, why he is supporting Cameron, he responded, "Accessibility."
"We want to keep our highways and roads as safe as possible," Newman said, adding that the group has had trouble getting feedback from the Beshear administration.
Karen Hibbard of Shepherdsville believes Cameron will follow through on promises to rebound from learning loss in the classroom during the pandemic and to keep student athletes on the teams associated with their genders assigned at birth.
"He's trustworthy -- He does what he says he's going to do," Hibbard said. "I have great-grandchildren, [and] I want them to have the best education possible."
No excuse, early in-person voting starts Thursday, Nov. 2, in Kentucky.
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